Information processing system and information processing method

ABSTRACT

An information processing system includes a user terminal that receives input from a user; an operator terminal that receives input from an operator; and one or more information processing apparatuses connected to the user terminal and the operator terminal. The information processing system includes circuitry configured to: acquire identification information from the user terminal and input information input to the user terminal; search response information for the input information; respond to the user terminal with the response information in response to the input information; determine, based on the identification information acquired from the user terminal, whether to perform a switching operation to perform a chat between the user terminal and the operator terminal; and control the switching operation based on a determination result.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/000,791 filed on Aug. 24, 2020, which is basedon and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-172291,filed on Sep. 20, 2019 in the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an information processing system andan information processing method.

Background Art

In a conventional technique so-called chatbot (sometimes referred tosimply as a “bot”), a device such as a computer first recognizes apattern of text, voice, or image input by a user through a network andbased on result of pattern recognition, answers conversation orquestions from the user or performs device control.

Specifically, the chatbot prepares a database and the like in advancesuch that the chatbot is able to answer questions entered by the user.Then, when the chatbot prepares to send the answer to the user, thesending is temporarily stopped. Next, an operator checks the dataimmediately before sending. After this check, the chatbot sends theanswer to the user based on the instruction of the operator. A methodthat enables the operator to confirm the answer such as described aboveis known.

There is also a chatbot that provides a manned support function forstarting a chat with an operator in response to a user's instruction.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure describes an informationprocessing system and an information processing method. The informationprocessing system acquires input information input to the user terminal,searches response information for the input information, responds to theuser terminal with the response information in response to the inputinformation, determines whether to display a switching reception screenconfigured to receive a switching operation to perform a chat betweenthe user terminal and the operator terminal, and displays the switchingreception screen on the user terminal based on a determination result.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the embodiments and many of theattendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained andunderstood from the following detailed description with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an overallconfiguration of an information processing system according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of a user terminal according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the user terminal according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an administrator terminal according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the administrator terminal according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of a server according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams illustrating an example of a flow ofdialog based on scenario information according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of category informationaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of question-answerinformation according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of inquiry historyinformation according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of dialoghistory information according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of a server according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an operator terminal according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of an operator terminal according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of overallprocessing according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a determinationprocess of switching display according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displaying aswitching display according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which aswitching display is not displayed according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for amanned support according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screendisplayed by the operator terminal according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a mannedsupport setting process according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screenduring the manned chat according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of the screen displayingswitching to the manned support according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of the screen for acceptingan evaluation for the manned support according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed bythe operator terminal during the manned support according to embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a history according toembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the information processing system according toembodiments of the present disclosure.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of thepresent disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scopethereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn toscale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar referencenumerals designate identical or similar components throughout theseveral views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specificterminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosureof this specification is not intended to be limited to the specificterminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specificelement includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function,operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result. As usedherein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

Hereinafter, a description is given of several embodiments of thepresent disclosure with reference to the drawings. In the description ofthe drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same referencenumerals, and redundant description is omitted. In addition, theillustrated specific example is merely an example, and a configurationother than the illustrated configuration may be included.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an overallconfiguration of an information processing system. For example, achatbot system 100 is an example of an information processing system andincludes a server 1, a user terminal 2, an administrator terminal 3, anoperator terminal 5, and the like, which are examples of informationprocessing apparatuses.

The server 1 is an example of the information processing apparatus thatprovides chatbot service.

The user terminal 2 is an information processing apparatus that a userperforms operations such as input in the chatbot service.

The administrator terminal 3 is an information processing apparatusoperated by an administrator or the like in order to manage the server 1or the like.

The operator terminal 5 is an information processing apparatus in whichan operator who operates the chatbot service performs operations such asinput in the chatbot service.

The server 1, the user terminal 2, the administrator terminal 3, and theoperator terminal 5 are connected to each other through, for example, acommunication network 4 or the like.

For example, the communication network 4 is the internet or the like.The communication network 4 may be a communication network such as alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a short-rangecommunication, or a combination thereof, which performs wired orwireless communication.

The server 1 communicates with the user terminal 2, the administratorterminal 3, the operator terminal 5, and the like. For example, theserver 1 provides the chatbot service or the like in which responseinformation, such as an answer, is returned to input information such asa question input by the user.

Further, the server 1 provides services such as a service of messagetransmission/reception between the user and the operator, or between aplurality of users, which is so-called chat. The server 1 provides aninstant message service or the like. Note that various services may beprovided by a plurality of information processing apparatuses.Hereinafter, an example is described in which one unit of the server 1provides the service.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the user terminal. For example, the user terminal 2includes a communication unit 2 a, a device control unit 2 b, an inputunit 2 c, a display unit 2 d, and the like. A plurality of the userterminals may be included in the information processing system.

The communication unit 2 a communicates with an external device throughthe communication network 4.

The device control unit 2 b controls the overall operation of the userterminal 2. For example, the device control unit 2 b transmits/receivesinformation, commands, and the like through the communication unit 2 a.In addition, for example, the device control unit 2 b controls aninteractive application or the like, which is an example of applicationsoftware such as a browser or other interactive application forreceiving the chatbot service from the server 1, according to a program.

The input unit 2 c receives inputs of information and commands fromusers and outputs the received information to the device control unit 2b and the like.

The display unit 2 d displays various screens. For example, the displayunit 2 d displays a screen for the interactive application or the like.The display unit 2 d and the input unit 2 c may be integrated. Theinteractive application is installed in advance. The interactiveapplication may be a browser or the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the user terminal. For example, the user terminal 2includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM)202, a random access memory (RAM) 203, a memory 204, a communicationinterface (I/F) 205, an operation I/F 206, and a display 207. Further,the hardware included in the user terminal 2 is connected to each otherby, for example, a bus. The hardware of the user terminal 2 may beconnected to another device or the like by wired or wirelesscommunication.

The user terminal 2 is, for example, an information processing apparatussuch as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, or a tablet.

The communication I/F 205 implements the functions of the communicationunit 2 a and the like. For example, the communication I/F 205 is aconnection terminal, a communication circuit, or the like.

The operation I/F 206 implements the functions of the input unit 2 c andthe like. For example, the operation I/F 206 is an input device such asa button, keyboard, dial, key, touch panel, and microphone.

The display 207 implements the functions of the display unit 2 d. Forexample, the display 207 is an output device such as a liquid crystalpanel, an organic electroluminescence (EL), and an inorganic EL. Thedisplay 207 and the operation I/F 206 may be integrated like a touchpanel.

The memory 204 is an example of a main storage device. For example, thememory 204 stores information acquired through the communication network4. The user terminal 2 may further include an auxiliary storage devicesuch as a hard disk or a solid state drive (SSD).

The CPU 201 implements the functions of the device control unit 2 b andthe like. That is, the CPU 201 is an example of a control device and anarithmetic device.

The ROM 202 is a storage device such as a non-volatile semiconductor.

The RAM 203 is a volatile semiconductor storage device or the like.

A program for implementing the device control unit 2 b and the like isstored in advance in, for example, the ROM 202 or the memory 204. Then,the program is read by the CPU 201 from the ROM 202, the memory 204 orthe like to the RAM 203 and expanded. Next, the CPU 201 executesinstructions according to the program expanded in the RAM 203.

The program may be stored in, for example, an auxiliary storage deviceinstead of the ROM 202 and the memory 204. Further, the program may beacquired through a wired network, a wireless network, broadcasting, orthe like.

The device control unit 2 b and the like may be implemented by anelectronic circuit or a combination of a CPU to execute a program and acircuit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an administrator terminal. For example, like the userterminal 2, the administrator terminal 3 includes a communication unit 3a, a device control unit 3 b, an input unit 3 c, a display unit 3 d, andthe like. Hereinafter, an example in which the administrator terminal 3has the same functional configuration as the user terminal 2 isdescribed, and redundant description is omitted. However, theadministrator terminal 3 may have a functional configuration differentfrom the user terminal 2. A plurality of the administrator terminals maybe included in the information processing system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the administrator terminal according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the administrator terminal 3includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a memory 304, a communicationI/F 305, an operation I/F 306, and a display 307. Hereinafter, anexample in which the administrator terminal 3 has the same hardwareconfiguration as the user terminal 2 is described, and redundantdescription is omitted. However, the administrator terminal 3 may have ahardware configuration different from the user terminal 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the server. The server has various databases (DB). Forexample, the server 1 includes a communication unit 31, an inputinformation monitoring unit 32, a correspondence management unit 33, anoperator management unit 34, a user side control unit 10, anadministrator side control unit 20, a keyword DB 41, a synonym DB 42, adialog scenario DB 43, a category DB 44, a question-answer DB 45, aninquiry history DB 46, a dialog history DB 47, a contract information DB48 and the like.

The DB may be included in an external device and referred to by theserver 1 or the like. Further, a configuration of the DB does not haveto be the configuration illustrated in the figure. That is, the DB doesnot have to have the name and the number as illustrated in the figureand may be any DB having the same content.

The communication unit 31 communicates with the external devices such asthe user terminal 2 and the administrator terminal 3 through thecommunication network 4.

The input information monitoring unit 32 acquires various informationand the like from the user terminal 2 and the administrator terminal 3through the communication unit 31. For example, the input informationmonitoring unit 32 selects the acquired information and outputs to theuser side control unit 10 or the administrator side control unit 20.Specifically, the input information monitoring unit 32 outputsinformation and the like acquired through the interactive application tothe user side control unit 10. On the other hand, the input informationmonitoring unit 32 outputs information acquired through the managementapplication to the administrator side control unit 20.

The correspondence management unit 33 stores and updates state ofcorrespondence.

The operator management unit 34 stores and updates the state ofcorrespondence of each operator.

The user side control unit 10 controls response of the server 1 to theuser. For example, the user side control unit 10 outputs to the userterminal 2, information (hereinafter referred to as “responseinformation”) to be responded to information such as a question(hereinafter referred to as “input information”) input by the userthrough the user terminal 2.

The administrator side control unit 20 controls the input and output ofthe server 1 with respect to an administrator. For example, theadministrator side control unit 20 receives an operation, such as inputto each DB, performed by the administrator from the administratorterminal 3. In addition, the administrator side control unit 20 outputsinformation indicated by each DB in response to a request from theadministrator terminal 3.

The administrator side control unit 20 may control storage ofinformation including inquiry information in the administrator sidecontrol unit 20 and answer information corresponding to the inquiryinformation and history information including history of inputinformation and response information in the user side control unit 10.

The dialog scenario DB 43 stores dialog type scenario informationcorresponding to the input information. The user side control unit 10 issupposed to have a dialog with the user according to a scenario that isinput in advance in the dialog scenario DB 43.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate an example of the scenario informationaccording to the first embodiment. For example, a process to receive theinput information from a user for asking a question and to output theresponse information that is an answer to the received question isperformed according to a scenario as illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B.

The category DB 44 stores category information for classifyingquestions.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the category information.For example, as illustrated, the category information associates acharacter string of the name of a category including a question, anidentifier (ID) of the category information, and an update date and timeof the category information.

The question-answer DB 45 stores question-answer information including aquestion and an answer to the question. The question-answer informationis created in advance and stored in the question-answer DB 45.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the question-answerinformation. For example, as illustrated in the figure, thequestion-answer information includes a question, an ID of thequestion-answer information, a question similar to the question, ananswer to the question, ID of a category including the question, and anupdated date and time of the question-answer information.

The keyword DB 41 stores a keyword, that is a character exampleindicating the characteristics of the question and the answer includedin the question-answer information. The keywords may be words, phrasesand sentences. Further, the keyword DB 41 may store keywords not relatedto the question-answer information.

For example, the user side control unit 10 first decomposes thecharacter string of the question input by the user into words. Next, theuser side control unit 10 detects the keyword of the question bycollating the decomposed word with the character string stored in thekeyword DB 41. Further, the user side control unit 10 searches thequestion-answer information corresponding to the question indicated bythe input information by collating the detected keyword with thecharacter string of question in the question-answer DB 45.

The synonym DB 42 stores synonym information of keywords stored in thekeyword DB 41. For example, the synonym information associates characterstrings having similar meanings with each other. The character stringmay be a word, a phrase, or a sentence. Further, the character stringshaving similar meanings are not limited to the character strings havingsimilar meanings. For example, character strings that have similarmeanings to each other may be a character string that can deduce theother from one, or one may be a character string that is a part of theother, scenes used may be similar, or definition may be fixed accordingto the usage environment.

The user side control unit 10 first decomposes the character string ofthe question input by the user into words. Next, the user side controlunit 10 collates the decomposed words with information in the synonym DB42 and extracts a character string that is a synonym of a decomposedword. In this way, the user side control unit 10 estimates a keyword bymatching the word included in the question and a synonym of the wordwith the keyword DB 41.

The inquiry history DB 46 stores inquiry history information which isinformation on the history of questions input by the user.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of inquiry historyinformation. For example, as illustrated in the figure, the inquiryhistory information includes an inquiry history information ID, aninteractive session ID of a session containing the question, a categoryID corresponding to the question-answer information, a question IDcorresponding to the question-answer information, a question input bythe user, user feedback information for answer to the question, and adate and time when the question was input, stored in association witheach other.

A dialog session is a set of dialog performed between the user and theserver 1. For example, the dialog included in the same dialog session isdialog performed on the user terminal 2 from the time the screen usedfor the dialog in the chat format or the like is opened to the time thedialog is closed, or dialog or the like performed from the time thescreen was launched to the time the dialog was forcibly closed due to asession timeout. The session timeout occurs when there is no action onthe user terminal 2 within a certain time set in advance. The sessiontimeout is a process of ending the screen or the like used for thedialog.

The interactive session is not limited to the above description. Forexample, the dialog session may indicate a dialog between the user andthe server 1 from the time a question by the user is input to the time apresentation of an answer to the question is given and user feedback tothe answer is input. In the case described above, the interactivesession is completed each time the user feedback is received.

The dialog history DB 47 stores dialog history information, which ishistory information of utterance contents input to the user terminal 2and the utterance contents output from the server 1 in the dialogbetween the user and the server 1.

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of dialoghistory information. For example, as illustrated in the figure, thedialog history information includes a dialog history information ID, adialog session ID of a session in which the spoken message wastransmitted, a speaker, a spoken message, a message type ID, a contentID of the message, and a date and time when the message was sent, storedin association with each other.

The message type ID indicates a type of message. Specifically, themessage type IDs “5-0”, “5-1” and “5-2” correspond to “category”,“question-answer information” and “scenario”, respectively. The contentID indicates content associated with the message type ID. For example,when the message type ID is a scenario, the content ID indicates amessage set in the scenario. The content ID indicates thequestion-answer information ID when the message type is thequestion-answer information. The content ID refers to a message forselecting a category when the message type is the category.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the server. For example, the server 1 includes a CPU101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a memory 104, a communication I/F 105, anoperation I/F 106, a display 107, and the like. Hereinafter, an examplein which the server 1 has the same hardware configuration as the userterminal 2 is described, and redundant description is omitted. However,the server 1 may have a hardware configuration different from the userterminal 2 or the like.

Further, the server 1 is a so-called cloud server, but is not limited tothe cloud server.

For example, the chatbot system controls as illustrated in the figurebased on the scenario information set in advance by the administratorand interacts with the user. For example, the scenario information,graphical user interface (GUI), etc. are set in advance so thatcommunication is carried out in the flow illustrated in the figure suchas FIGS. 7A and 7B.

In step S31, the user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 todisplay a selection menu to select a question search method. Forexample, the selection menu includes three options such as “search fromall categories”, “search from a selected category”, and “search fromfrequently asked questions (FAQ)”. The selection menu may have four ormore options or two or less options.

When “search from all categories” is selected in the selection menu, thescenario proceeds to step S32. When “search from FAQ” is selected in theselection menu, the scenario proceeds to step S37. When “search from aselected category” is selected in the selection menu, the scenarioproceeds to step S39.

In step S32, the user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 todisplay a message prompting input of a question. In response to theinput of a question, the scenario proceeds to step S33.

In step S33, the user side control unit 10 analyzes the character stringindicating the question. Then, the user side control unit 10 searchesfor an answer candidate for the question using the question-answer DB 45or the like. Note that the user side control unit 10 searches thequestion-answer DB 45 by using the keywords included in the question,the keyword estimated from the synonyms, and the like, and thus aplurality of answer candidates may be acquired.

If the result of the search in step S33 is “one candidate”, the userside control unit 10 sets the searched candidate as an answer andresponds as response information. If the result of the search in stepS33 is “two or more candidates”, the user side control unit 10 proceedsto step S34. If the result of the search in step S33 is “candidate notfound”, the user side control unit 10 proceeds to step S36.

In step S34, that is, when there are two or more answer candidates, amessage prompting the user to select any one of the plurality ofcandidates or none of the candidates is displayed on the user terminal2.

In step S35, when a candidate is selected (“candidate selected” in thefigure), the user side control unit 10 responds using the selectedcandidate. On the other hand, when the candidate is not selected(“appropriate candidate not found” in the figure), a message indicatingthat the answer to the question cannot be displayed at this stage isdisplayed on the user terminal 2.

In step S36, the user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 todisplay a message of apology prompting a re-search, and the processreturns to step S31.

In step S39, the user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 todisplay a list of category names and the like. Then, when selection of acategory from the list of category names is received, the user sidecontrol unit 10 proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, when the user designates a category, the user side controlunit 10 causes the user terminal 2 to display a message prompting inputof a question. When a question or the like is input, the inputinformation is acquired from the user terminal 2, and the user sidecontrol unit 10 proceeds to step S41.

In step S41, in response to the input of a question by the usercorresponding to the selected category, the user side control unit 10searches the question-answer DB 45 or the like for the question-answerinformation corresponding to the selected category and extractsquestion-answer information corresponding to the question.

In step S41, if the search result indicates that there is one answercandidate (“one candidate” in the figure), the user side control unit 10responds by using the searched answer as the response information. Ifthe result of the search is that there are two or more candidates forthe answer (“two or more candidates” in the figure), the user sidecontrol unit 10 proceeds to step S42. When the answer candidate is notextracted as a result of the search (“candidate not found” in thefigure), the user side control unit 10 proceeds to step S44.

In step S42, the user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 todisplay a message that prompts the user to select any of the answercandidates or none of the candidates.

In step S43, the user side control unit 10 replies using a selectedcandidate, if a candidate is selected in step S42. On the other hand,when candidate is not selected (“appropriate candidate not found” in thefigure), a message indicating that the answer to the question cannot bedisplayed at this stage is displayed on the user terminal 2.

In step S44, if the answer candidate is not detected, the user sidecontrol unit 10 causes the user terminal 2 to display a message ofapology prompting a re-search and the process returns to step S31.

In step S37, the user side control unit 10 refers to the inquiry historyDB 46 and extracts one or more frequently asked questions (for example,three questions). The user side control unit 10 causes the user terminal2 to display the extracted frequently asked questions. Note that theuser side control unit 10 may also display a message asking forselection of another search method on the user terminal 2.

In step S38, in response to a selection of a question from the list ofquestions in step S37, the user side control unit 10 reads the answer tothe selected question from the question-answer DB 45 and displays theanswer on the user terminal 2. On the other hand, when another searchmethod is selected, the user side control unit 10 returns to step S31.

Hereinafter, an example of a functional configuration of the user sidecontrol unit 10 is described. For example, the input informationanalysis unit 11 analyzes the input information acquired from the userterminal 2 and outputs the analysis result to the response processingunit 12.

Specifically, the input information analysis unit 11 first analyzes thecharacter string input by the user. For example, the input informationanalysis unit 11 performs morphological analysis to decompose thecharacter string of the question and extract words. Further, the inputinformation analysis unit 11 refers to the synonym DB 42 and extractssynonyms of the extracted words. Next, the input information analysisunit 11 compares the extracted words and synonyms with the keyword DB 41to estimate the keywords.

The response processing unit 12 generates response information for theinput information. For example, the response processing unit 12generates information selected on the display screen of the display unit2 d included in the user terminal 2 and response information for thecharacter string input to the user terminal 2.

For example, when an option included in the scenario information isselected, the response processing unit 12 refers to the dialog scenarioDB 43 and outputs a message corresponding to the option to the userterminal 2. When the character string of the question is input, theresponse processing unit 12 collates the keyword estimated by the inputinformation analysis unit 11 with the question-answer DB 45 to searchthe question-answer information for the question. Then, the responseprocessing unit 12 outputs the searched question-answer information tothe user terminal 2. For example, when the option included in thecategory information is selected, the response processing unit 12 maylimit the search of the question-answer information in thequestion-answer DB 45 to the selected category.

The processing content acquisition unit 13 acquires and stores theprocessing result of the response processing unit 12. For example, theprocessing content acquisition unit 13 stores the answer to the questionin the inquiry history DB 46 as inquiry history information. Further,the processing content acquisition unit 13 stores the content of theutterance input and output between the server 1 and the user terminal 2,which is the process of answering the question, in the dialog history DB47 as the dialog history information.

Hereinafter, a functional configuration of the administrator sidecontrol unit 20 is described. For example, the input informationanalysis unit 21 analyzes information and the like input to theadministrator terminal 3, and outputs the analyzed information to theresponse processing unit 22. Specifically, the input informationanalysis unit 21 analyzes a character string or the like input by theadministrator or the like. For example, the input information analysisunit 21 extracts words and estimates keywords corresponding to the wordsand synonyms, as in the user side control unit 10.

For example, the response processing unit 22 changes, adds, or deletesinformation for each DB according to a command input by theadministrator or the like. Specifically, the response processing unit 22changes the keyword, deletes the keyword, or adds a new keyword to thekeyword stored in the keyword DB 41 or the like. Similarly, the responseprocessing unit 22 changes the synonym, deletes the synonym, or adds newsynonyms to the synonyms stored in the synonym DB 42 and the like.Furthermore, the response processing unit 22 changes the scenario,deletes the scenario, or adds a new scenario to the scenario informationstored in the dialog scenario DB 43. Furthermore, the responseprocessing unit 22 changes the category, deletes the category, or adds anew category to the category information stored in the category DB 44.Further, the response processing unit 22 edits the question-answerinformation, deletes the question-answer information, or adds newquestion-answer information to the question-answer information stored inthe question-answer DB 45. Hereinafter, “change, addition and deletionof information” may be referred to as “editing” of information.

In addition, for example, the response processing unit 22 may displaythe feedback statistics of the user on the display unit 3 d according toa command input from the administrator or the like. For example, theuser's feedback indicates the user's rating entered for the answer. Forexample, when the user side control unit 10 of the server 1 presents ananswer to the user's question, the user is asked, in a dialog with thesever, whether the question is solved by the answer. That is, the userside control unit 10 asks the user whether the user is satisfied withthe answer. The response processing unit 22 presents degree ofsatisfaction with respect to the question as feedback statistics.

The configuration of the administrator side control unit may be suchthat there are functions and terminals for the administrator asdescribed above. On the other hand, the administrator terminal may alsoserve as an operator terminal, for example. Hereinafter, a case wherethe operator terminal also serves as the administrator terminal isdescribed as an example.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an operator terminal. For example, like the userterminal 2, the operator terminal 5 includes a communication unit 5 a, adevice control unit 5 b, an input unit 5 c, a display unit 5 d, and thelike. Hereinafter, an example in which the operator terminal 5 has thesame functional configuration as the user terminal 2 is described, andredundant description is omitted. However, the operator terminal 5 mayhave a functional configuration different from the user terminal 2.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the operator terminal. For example, the operatorterminal 5 includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, a memory 504, acommunication I/F 505, an operation I/F 506, a display 507, and thelike. Hereinafter, an example in which the operator terminal 5 has thesame hardware configuration as the user terminal 2 and the like isdescribed, and redundant description is omitted. However, the operatorterminal 5 may have a hardware configuration different from the userterminal 2 and the like.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of overallprocessing. Hereinafter, a case where the server 1 independentlyperforms the processing for implementing the chatbot service isdescribed as an example.

In step S101, the input unit 2 c of the user terminal 2 receives anoperation to activate a chatbot. For example, the user terminal 2receives pressing of a certain icon included in the web page displayedon the display unit 2 d, an operation to start the interactiveapplication installed in the user terminal 2 or pressing of a certainbutton of the interactive application.

In step S102, the user terminal 2 requests the activation of the chatbotin response to the operation to activate the chatbot. The communicationunit 2 a of the user terminal 2 transmits a chatbot activation requestand a tenant ID for identifying a chatbot contractor (tenant) to theserver 1.

The tenant ID is information that the user terminal 2 holds in advance,and may be included in, for example, the web page displayed on thebrowser that includes the icon for activating the chatbot, or aparticular application that has a chat function.

In step S103, the server 1 acquires from the contract information DB 48,information such as a contract corresponding to the tenant ID receivedfrom the user terminal 2. For example, information such as whether ornot to perform manned support and a period for which the support isprovided is input to the contract in advance. Further, the memory 104 ofthe server 1 holds the acquired information such as the contract inassociation with the session ID and the like.

In step S104, the correspondence management unit 33 of the server 1 setsthe correspondence state to “bot responding”.

In step S105, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 transmitsthe scenario information.

In step S106, the device control unit 2 b of the user terminal 2displays the scenario on the display unit 2 d based on the scenarioinformation.

In step S107, the input unit 2 c of the user terminal 2 receives inputinformation such as a question. The communication unit 2 a of the userterminal 2 transmits the input information such as the received questionto the server 1 and the input information monitoring unit 32 of theserver 1 acquires the input information from the user terminal.

The input information may be information indicating the result ofinputting a question character string in free format, or informationindicating the result of input in a selection format in which an optionprepared in advance in the scenario information or the like is selected.

In step S108, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 searchesthe response information for the input information.

In step S109, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 determinesthe item to be displayed on the user terminal 2. Specifically, theresponse processing unit 12 of the server 1 determines whether or not todisplay a switching display for switching to chat between the user andthe operator. For example, the server 1 makes the followingdetermination.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a determinationprocess of the switching display. For example, three determinations ofstep S201, step S202, and step S203 are performed to determine whetherto display the switching display (step S204) or not to display theswitching display (step S205).

Depending on the result of the determination, for example, the screen onthe user terminal differs as follows.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displaying theswitching display. If it is determined in step S204 to display theswitching display, for example, when an evaluation reception screen toreceive evaluation as illustrated in the figure is displayed, aswitching reception screen to receive switching to a manned support isdisplayed.

In step S106, a message IVIES is displayed based on a scenario or thelike, and the chatbot service is started.

In step S107, the input information INFI, which is a character string orthe like indicating content that the user wants to ask, is input, suchas “medical”.

In step S110 described later, the response information INFA is returnedto the input information INFI. In this example, the response informationINFA is information of a uniform resource locator (URL) of a referencehomepage.

Note that such input information INFI and response information INFA maybe exchanged a plurality of times.

Then, a button for evaluation (hereinafter referred to as “botevaluation button AP1”) is displayed on the screen. Further, on thescreen, a button (hereinafter, referred to as “manned support switchingbutton SW”) for switching to chat between the user terminal and theoperator terminal is displayed.

The screen receives either one of the evaluation operation and theswitching operation.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which theswitching display is not displayed. When it is determined that theswitching display is not displayed in step S205, for example, thefollowing screen is displayed. Compared to FIG. 17 , FIG. 18 isdifferent in that there is no manned support switching button SW.

That is, when the switching display is not displayed, the interactionbetween the bot and the user ends when the pressing of the botevaluation button AP1 is received.

The server 1 determines whether or not to display the switching display,for example, as described below.

In step S201, the server 1 determines whether or not the contractincludes support by operator. That is, the response processing unit 12of the server 1 determines whether or not the user has a contract formanned support based on the contract information. Further, the contractinformation and the like are input in advance to the server 1.

When it is determined that the contract includes support by operator(YES in step S201), the server 1 proceeds to step S202. On the otherhand, when it is determined that the contract does not include supportby operator (NO in step S201), the server 1 proceeds to step S205.

In step S202, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 determineswhether “manned chat” is set to “ON”. It is desired that whether or notto perform manned support is set on the following setting screen or thelike, for example.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for themanned support. For example, the settings are performed by a GUI such asa check box CBX as illustrated in FIG. 19 .

Specifically, when the check box CBX is set to “ON” for the item “Usemanned chat”, the server 1 determines that the “manned chat” is set to“ON” (YES in step S202).

Note that the settings as to whether or not to perform manned support isnot limited to input by the check box CBX. For example, the settings ofwhether to perform manned support may be made by inputting time and thelike. The end time or the like for the manned support may be set, suchas “17:30” as illustrated in the FIG. 19 . With such settings, theserver 1 determines that “Use manned chat” is not “ON” after 17:30 (NOin step S202). Further, conditions other than the time may be set.

When it is determined that “Use manned chat” is set to “ON” (YES in stepS202), the server 1 proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, when it isdetermined that “Use manned chat” is not set to “ON” (NO in step S202),the server 1 proceeds to step S205.

In step S203, the server 1 determines whether or not there is anoperator available. When there are a plurality of operators, the server1 determines that there is an operator available even if only oneoperator is available (YES in step S203).

Whether the operator is available, not available, or occupied is set by,for example, the following operation screen displayed on the operatorterminal.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screendisplayed by the operator terminal. For example, whether the operator isavailable, not available, or occupied is received by a GUI such as abutton (hereinafter, referred to as “state switch SET”) capable ofdisplaying and inputting an availability of the operator.

The state switch SET may be set to “available”, “not available”, or“occupied” by the operator's operation. On the other hand, the operatorterminal may set to “occupied” or the like based on the operatorinputting a character string corresponding to another user.

In addition, for example, when the operator is away from the operator'sseat, the state switch SET may be set to “not available” or the likebased on the fact that no input is made to the sensor or the operatorterminal for a certain period.

On the other hand, depending on the operator, there are cases where aplurality of users can be handled at the same time with, even if theoperator's state is “occupied”. Therefore, the operator may be able toset to “available” even if the operator is “occupied”.

When the above settings are made, for example, the following settingprocess is performed.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of the setting process formanned support.

In step S301, the operator terminal 5 receives the operation of thestate switch SET.

When the state switch SET is set to “available” (in the figure, “whensetting to “available” is received”), the operator terminal 5 proceedsto step S302. When the state switch SET is set to “not available” (inthe figure, “when setting to “not available” is received”), the operatorterminal 5 proceeds to step S304.

In step S302, the operator terminal 5 makes a request to change thestate of the operator to “available” in response to the operation of theoperator. Specifically, the device control unit 5 b of the operatorterminal 5 transmits a request to change the state of the operator tothe server 1 through the communication unit 2 a.

In step S303, the operator management unit 34 of the server 1 changesthe state of the operator to “available” based on the request.

In step S304, the operator terminal 5 makes a request for changing theoperator's state to “not available” in response to the operator'soperation. Specifically, the device control unit 5 b of the operatorterminal 5 transmits a request to change the state of the operator tothe server 1 through the communication unit 2 a.

In step S305, the operator management unit 34 of the server 1 changesthe state of the operator to “not available” based on the request.

Further, the operator terminal 5 stores the operator identificationinformation for identifying the operator, which is input when theoperator logs in to the operation screen, and the operatoridentification information is sent to the server 1 together with therequest to change the state of the operator. Based on the request, theoperator management unit 34 of the server 1 changes the state of theoperator corresponding to the operator identification information to“available”.

In addition, a list of calling information is displayed on the operationscreen. The calling information includes category information ofquestion-answer information that the bot used to answer the last user(hereinafter referred to as “INFC”) and input information such asquestions entered by the user corresponding to the answer (hereinafterreferred to as “immediately preceding input information INFQ”). Byreferring to these pieces of information, the operator knows whichanswer from the bot the user wants to interact with. When the operatorselects the calling information that the operator wants to respond to,the screen of FIG. 25 , which is described below, is displayed, and theoperator handles the selected call. In addition, in response to theoperator selecting the calling information, the state of the operator ischanged to “occupied” and the selected calling information is moved to acolumn indicating “chat being handled” as illustrated in FIG. 23described below. Further, the operator can also respond to a call bypressing the “calling operator” button displayed in the navigation menuon the left side of the operation screen.

Note that the operation screen displays a list of call information beinghandled by other operators and chats being handled by the bot.

When it is determined that the operator is available (YES in step S203),the server 1 proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, when it isdetermined that no operator is available (NO in step S203), the server 1proceeds to step S205.

In step S204, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 determinesto display the switching display.

In step S205, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 determinesnot to display the switching display.

For example, step S109 is performed as described above.

In step S110, the response processing unit 12 of the server 1 transmits,to the user terminal 2, response information and information of items tobe displayed on the screen for performing the evaluation operation andthe like. If it is determined that the switching display is to bedisplayed based on the determination result made in step S109, thedisplay request of the manned support switching button SW is transmittedto the user terminal 2. On the other hand, if it is determined not todisplay the switching display, the display request for the mannedsupport switching button SW is not transmitted to the user terminal 2.Further, instead of transmitting/not transmitting the display request, adisplay/non-display request may be transmitted to the user terminal.

In step S111, the display unit 2 d of the user terminal 2 displays theresponse information received from the server 1.

In step S112, the display unit 2 d of the user terminal 2 displays, forexample, the bot evaluation button AP1 and the manned support switchingbutton SW as illustrated in FIG. 17 . When the display request of themanned support switching button SW is received from the server 1, themanned support switching button SW is displayed, and when the displayrequest of the manned support switching button SW is not received, themanned support switching button SW is not displayed.

In step S113, when the manned support switching button SW is displayed,the input unit 2 c of the user terminal 2 receives pressing of themanned support switching button SW. When pressing of the switch isreceived (in the figure, “when switching operation is received”), theuser terminal 2 proceeds to step S114.

In step S114, the communication unit 2 a of the user terminal 2 requeststhe server 1 for manned support.

In step S115, the correspondence management unit 33 of the server 1 setsthe “waiting for manned support” state in response to a request from theuser terminal 2.

In step S116, the communication unit 31 of the server 1 calls anoperator. For example, a screen as illustrated in FIG. 20 is displayedon the operator terminal 5.

In step S117, the input unit 5 c of the operator terminal 5 receives anoperation for starting manned support.

In step S118, the display unit 5 d of the operator terminal 5 displays ascreen for chat when manned support starts.

When manned support is started as described above, for example, thefollowing screen is displayed on the operator terminal 5.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screenduring the manned support. Compared with the screen illustrated in FIG.20 , difference is that the chat is indicated in “chat being handled”field. As described above, the screen is switched to “manned support”.

In step S119, the communication unit 5 a of the operator terminal 5notifies the start of manned support.

In step S120, the correspondence management unit 33 of the server 1 setsthe correspondence state to “manned support”.

In step S121, the operator management unit 34 of the server 1 sets thestate of the operator to “occupied”.

In step S122, the communication unit 31 of the server 1 notifies theoperator of the state.

In step S123, the device control unit 5 b of the operator terminal 5sets the state of the operator to “occupied”.

In step S124, the communication unit 31 of the server 1 notifies thestart of the manned support.

In step S125, the display unit 2 d of the user terminal 2 displays ascreen for chat with the operator.

In step S126, the communication unit 2 a of the user terminal 2 and thecommunication unit 5 a of the operator terminal 5 send and receive thechat information input by the user or the operator through the server 1to perform chat between the user and the operator.

When the manned support is performed as described above, the support isswitched from the chatbot support to the chat with the operator asdescribed below.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of switching to mannedsupport. For example, the chat CT performed in step S126 is implementedby exchanging user input (hereinafter referred to as “user input INUR”)and operator input (hereinafter referred to as “operator input INOP”) asillustrated in FIG. 23 .

The user input INUR is a question or the like input at the userterminal.

The operator input INOP is a response input at the operator terminal inresponse to the question.

As described above, the manned chat CT is performed.

In addition, when the chat CT ends, an evaluation for manned support maybe received separately from the evaluation of the chatbot. For example,the following screen is used to accept the evaluation of manned support.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for acceptingan evaluation operation for manned support. For example, on the screen,a button (hereinafter referred to as “manned support evaluation buttonAP2”) for inputting the evaluation for manned support is displayed. Asdescribed above, the customer satisfaction level and the like may beevaluated separately from the bot by using the manned support evaluationbutton AP2 and the like.

In step S127, the input unit 5 c of the operator terminal 5 receives anoperation for ending the manned support. Specifically, pressing of the“end conversation” button displayed in FIG. 25 described below isreceived. In addition, the manned support may be terminated whenconversation is not exchanged within a certain time.

In step S128, the communication unit 5 a of the operator terminal 5notifies the end of manned support.

Note that the operator terminal 5 displays, for example, the followingscreen during manned support.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed bythe operator terminal during the manned support. For example, theoperator terminal 5 may display a correspondence history with the bot(hereinafter referred to as “bot correspondence history INFB”) and thelike.

The bot correspondence history INFB indicates response information andthe like that the bot responded to before switching to the mannedsupport. With such a bot correspondence history INFB, the operator cangrasp what kind of response the bot has made.

The manned support is performed on a manned support screen INFH or thelike. As described above, if the manned support is provided, detailedsupport is provided, and user satisfaction is increased.

In step S129, the correspondence management unit 33 of the server 1 setsthe correspondence state to “completed” when the chat between the userand the operator ends.

In step S130, the operator management unit 34 of the server 1 sets thestate of the operator to “available”.

In step S131, the communication unit 31 of the server 1 notifies theoperator of the state.

In step S132, the device control unit 5 b of the operator terminal 5sets the state of the operator to “available”.

In step S133, the communication unit 31 of the server 1 transmits anevaluation item for the manned support.

In step S134, the display unit 2 d of the user terminal 2 displays ascreen as illustrated in FIG. 24 , for example.

In step S135, the input unit 2 c of the user terminal 2 receives theevaluation of the manned support.

In step S136, the communication unit 2 a of the user terminal 2transmits the evaluation information.

In step S137, the processing content acquisition unit 13 of the server 1stores the history of evaluation information and the like.

The server 1 manages the operator's state and the like as described inthe following Table 1.

TABLE 1 Tenant ID = user0001 Operator ID State Operator A OccupiedOperator B Available Operator C Not Available . . . . . .

In the above Table 1, the “operator ID” is an identification foridentifying an operator.

“State” indicates the state of the operator.

Also, the server 1 stores, for example, the following data described inTable 2.

TABLE 2 Session Start Date First ID State Operator and Time QuestionCategory History aaaa0001 Manned Operator Aug. 21, 2019 Medical Productsupport A 09:35:12.465 information aaaa0002 Bot Aug. 21, 2019 responding09:39:23.332 aaaa0003 Waiting Aug. 21, 2019 for 09:51:55.843 mannedsupport

“Session ID” is an ID for identifying a chat or the like.

“State” indicates a state of a correspondence.

The “operator” indicates a corresponding operator when manned support isbeing performed.

The “start date and time” indicates the date and time when thecorrespondence by chat or the like was started.

The “first question” is the input information or the like that was inputfirst.

The “response category” is a category classified based on inputinformation and the like.

“History” indicates history of chats and the like. For example, thehistory is stored as follows in the JavaScript (registered trademark)Object Notation (JSON) format.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of the history.

The “enterer” indicates a subject who has issued a question or the like.In this case, the “enterer” is a “user”, a “bot”, or an “operator”.

The “chat content” is the question entered, the answer displayed, andthe like.

The “date and time” is the date and time when the question and the likewere made.

The response processing unit 22 of the server 1 displays thebot-corresponding history INFB based on the history information of Table2 and FIG. 26 . Specifically, the history corresponding to the sessionID of the call of the operator is acquired, and the bot correspondencehistory INFB is displayed based on the information stored in thehistory, for example, as in the screen illustrated in FIG. 25 .

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the information processing system. For example, thechatbot system 100 includes an acquisition unit 100F1, a search unit100F2, a response unit 100F3, an evaluation unit 100F4, and a switchingunit 100F5. Further, the chatbot system 100 preferably includes a firstsetting unit 100F6 and a second setting unit 100F7. In the following,the illustrated functional configuration is described as an example.

The acquisition unit 100F1 performs an acquisition procedure foracquiring input information input to the user terminal. For example, theacquisition unit 100F1 is implemented by the communication I/F 105 orthe like. In addition, the acquisition unit 100F1 includes thecommunication unit 31 and the like.

The search unit 100F2 performs a search procedure for searching responseinformation for the input information. For example, the search unit100F2 is implemented by the CPU 101 or the like. The search unit 100F2includes the input information analysis unit 11 and the like.

The response unit 100F3 performs a response procedure of returning theresponse information to the user terminal in response to the inputinformation. For example, the response unit 100F3 is implemented by thecommunication I/F 105 or the like. The response unit 100F3 includes theresponse processing unit 12 and the like.

The evaluation unit 100F4 performs an evaluation procedure for acceptingan evaluation operation from the user terminal. For example, theevaluation unit 100F4 is implemented by the communication I/F 105 or thelike. The evaluation unit 100F4 includes the communication unit 31 andthe like.

The switching unit 100F5 performs a switching procedure for receiving aswitching operation. For example, the switching unit 100F5 isimplemented by the communication I/F 105 or the like. The switching unit100F5 includes the response processing unit 12 and the like.

The first setting unit 100F6 performs a first setting procedure forsetting whether to perform the manned support. For example, the firstsetting unit 100F6 is implemented by the communication I/F 105 or thelike. The first setting unit 100F6 includes the operator management unit34 and the like.

The second setting unit 100F7 performs a second setting procedure forsetting whether or not the operator is available for the manned support.For example, the second setting unit 100F7 is implemented by theoperation I/F 506 or the like. The second setting unit 100F7 isconfigured by the device control unit 5 b and the like.

Although specific examples have been described above, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the examples and modifications describedabove. That is, various modifications and improvements are possiblewithin the scope of the present disclosure. For example, embodimentsobtained by variously modifying the embodiments and variations andembodiments obtained by combining the constituents of the differentembodiments and variations are also within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Further, for example, the user side control unit and the administratorside control unit are included in one server but may be included in twoor more servers separately. In this case, the database may be providedseparately from the server, and each of the two or more servers maycommunicate with the database.

Further, in the server according to the embodiments, each databasestores character string information, but the present disclosure is notlimited to the character string information. The database may storeinformation such as images and sounds.

Further, the present disclosure may be a program for executing theinformation processing method or may be a non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded.Needless to say, the above program can be distributed through atransmission medium such as the interne.

Further, the numbers such as the ordinal numbers and the quantities usedabove are all examples for specifically explaining the technique of thepresent disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to theexemplified numbers. Further, the connection relationship between theconstituent elements is an example for specifically explaining thetechnique of the present disclosure, and the connection relationship forimplementing the function of the present disclosure is not limited tothe above description.

Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in variousother ways, for example, in an order different from the one describedabove.

Each of the functions of the described embodiments may be implemented byone or more processing circuits or circuitry. Processing circuitryincludes a programmed processor, as a processor includes circuitry. Aprocessing circuit also includes devices such as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) and conventional circuit componentsarranged to perform the recited functions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing system comprising: auser terminal that receives input from a user; an operator terminal thatreceives input from an operator; and one or more information processingapparatuses connected to the user terminal and the operator terminal,the information processing system comprising: circuitry configured to:acquire identification information from the user terminal and inputinformation input to the user terminal; search response information forthe input information; respond to the user terminal with the responseinformation in response to the input information; determine, based on atleast service contract information associated with the identificationinformation acquired from the user terminal, whether to perform aswitching operation to perform a chat between the user terminal and theoperator terminal; and control the switching operation based on adetermination result, wherein the circuitry is further configured totransmit the input information in association with tenant information ofthe user in relation to a service; search for the service contractinformation relating to the service based on the tenant information; anddisplay a switching reception screen for the switching operation on theuser terminal in a case where the circuitry determines that the servicecontract information indicates the service includes support provided bythe operator, and operator availability status information indicatingthat the operator of the operator terminal is available has beenreceived from the operator terminal.
 2. The information processingsystem of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determinewhether to display the switching reception screen based on a state ofthe operator who operates the operator terminal.
 3. The informationprocessing system of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured todetermine whether to display the switching reception screen based onwhether the state of the operator who operates the operator terminal isone of available, not available, and occupied.
 4. The informationprocessing system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is furtherconfigured to: set whether to chat between the user terminal and theoperator terminal; and determine whether to display a switchingreception screen based on settings.
 5. The information processing systemof claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine to displaythe switching reception screen when responding to the user terminal. 6.The information processing system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry isfurther configured to: cause the user terminal to display an evaluationreception screen that receives input of evaluation for the responseinformation from the user terminal; and determine to display theswitching reception screen when displaying the evaluation receptionscreen on the user terminal.
 7. An information processing methodexecuted by an information processing system including a user terminalthat receives input from a user, an operator terminal that receivesinput from an operator, and one or more information processingapparatuses connected to the user terminal and the operator terminal,the method comprising: acquiring identification information from theuser terminal and input information input to the user terminal;searching response information for the input information; responding tothe user terminal with the response information in response to the inputinformation; determining, based on at least service contract informationassociated with the identification information acquired from the userterminal, whether to perform a switching operation to perform a chatbetween the user terminal and the operator terminal; and controlling theswitching operation based on a determination result, wherein the methodfurther comprises: transmitting the input information in associationwith tenant information of the user in relation to a service; searchingfor the service contract information relating to the service based onthe tenant information; and displaying a switching reception screen forthe switching operation on the user terminal in a case where thecircuitry determines that the service contract information indicates theservice includes support provided by the operator, and operatoravailability status information indicating that the operator of theoperator terminal is available has been received from the operatorterminal.
 8. The information processing method of claim 7, wherein themethod further comprises determining whether to display the switchingreception screen based on a state of the operator who operates theoperator terminal.
 9. The information processing method of claim 8,wherein the determining whether to display the switching receptionscreen includes determining based on whether the state of the operatorwho operates the operator terminal is one of available, not available,and occupied.
 10. The information processing method of claim 7, whereinthe method further comprises: determining whether to display theswitching reception screen, and setting whether to chat between the userterminal and the operator terminal, wherein the determining whether todisplay the switching reception screen includes determining whether todisplay the switching reception screen based on settings.
 11. Theinformation processing method of claim 7, wherein the method furthercomprises determining whether to display the switching reception screen,and wherein the determining whether to display the switching receptionscreen includes determining to display the switching reception screenwhen responding to the user terminal.
 12. The information processingmethod of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: determiningwhether to display the switching reception screen, causing the userterminal to display an evaluation reception screen that receives anevaluation for the response information from the user terminal, whereinthe determining whether to display the switching reception screenincludes determining to display the switching reception screen whendisplaying the evaluation reception screen on the user terminal.
 13. Theinformation processing system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry isfurther configured to determine, based on the at least service contractinformation associated with the identification information, whether todisplay the switching reception screen to perform the switchingoperation.